Apparatus for the flat laying of stockings



Feb. 25, 1969 v. H. sPARs ET APPARATUS FOR THE FLAT mains OF swocxmssSheet Filed Jan. 17, 1968 ATTORNEYS Feb. 25, 1969 v. H. SPAR5 ET3,429,618

APPARATUS FOR THE FLAT LAYING 0F s'rocxmes Filed Jan. 17, 1968 Sheet 3of 2 Fig. 3 I

INVENTORS, M660 #a/pa 5 4m! Anew Ma 55% 32% M Ml/(L w ATTORNEY S UnitedStates Patent US. Cl. 3022 Int. Cl. B65g 51/00; A41h 43/00 5 ClaimsABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE An apparatus for the flat laying of stockingscomprises a holder for holding one end of a stocking while a flow of airis produced for straightening out the stocking while so held at one endthereof.

Background of the invention This invention relates to an apparatus forthe flat laying of stockings.

Such apparatus are useful at many stations in a stocking manufacturingor processing factory where it is desirable that the stockings afterhaving been subjected to a certain manufacturing or checking operation,or have been conveyed from one station to another, should be depositedin a relatively straightened out state in regular and uniform bundles,e.g. in a collecting tray or basket.

A stocking flat laying apparatus is known comprising a holding memberwhich is adapted to receive and hold the leading end of a stockingconveyed thereto by a pneumatic stocking supplying system and thereafterto move in a rectilinear path, dragging along the end of the stockingheld thereby, while leaving the remainder of the stocking behind to begradually straightened out as the movement of the holding memberproceeds, and finally to let go of the stocking end and permitting thestocking to drop into a collecting tray or basket.

This mechanical flat laying of stockings is relatively complicated andexpensive, and besides the apparatus takes up considerable space.

It is an object of the present invention to devise a stocking fiatlaying apparatus which is relatively simple and inexpensive and can beconstructed so as to occupy a minimum of space.

Summary of the invention According to the invention, an apparatus forthe flat laying of stockings comprises a holding member adapted toreceive and temporarily hold the leading end of a stocking conveyedthereto by a pneumatic stocking supplying system, and means forproducing a flow of air from said holding member along a flat layingpath.

In this manner the necessity of mechanical driving and guiding means formoving the holding member forth and back along the flat laying path isavoided, the straightening out being performed by means of a flow ofair, while the holding member is being kept stationary so that acompressed air nozzle or a few such nozzles take over the whole functionof the said relatively complicated driving and guiding means that wereformerly used. This is a very great simplification and also the spacerequirements are limited to a minimum.

According to an embodiment of the invention, the flat laying path isprovided at the side of the holding member facing away from its stockingreceiving side, means being provided for moving said holding member outof the way to a position to enable a stocking held thereby to be caughtby said fiow of air so as to be extended along said flat 3,429,618Patented Feb. 25, 1969 laying path. It will be realized that in thisembodiment the flow of air serving to straighten out the stockings willbe directed in the same direction as the flow of air by means of whichthe stocking was first supplied to the holding member.

A still greater simplification is obtained by another embodiment of theinvention, in which said holding member is provided at the remote end ofa pneumatic conveying tube conectable to a pneumatic stocking supplyingsystem, said air flow producing means being constructed to produce aflow of air along said pneumatic conveying tube in a direction oppositeto that of the stocking supplying flow of air, the apparatus furthercomprising means for opening up the bottom of said pneumatic conveyingtube to permit a stocking present therein to drop out of same.

For holding the stocking end in the holding member a suction, e.g.produced by ejector effect, may be used in a manner known per se. A morereliable and economical way of holding the stocking end may, however, beobtained by constructing the holding member with mechanical stockingholding means, e.g. in the form of a reciprocatable needle. Holdingmeans of this nature are less dependent on any fluctuations of the airpressure, and, if pneumatically operated, their consumption ofcompressed air will be considerably lower than that of a suction deviceoperated by means of an ejector.

Brie description of the drawings FIGURE 1 diagrammatically shows anapparatus according to one embodiment of the invention in side view andpartly in section,

FIGURE 2 a similar view of an apparatus according to a second embodimentof the invention, and

FIGURE 3 is a mechanism associated with the apparatus of FIGURE 2 asseen from one end with a section through a tube defining a flat layingpath of the apparatus.

Description of the preferred embodiments In FIG. 1, 1 is a tube, throughwhich stockings or stocking blanks are supplied pneumatically in amanner known per se, e.g., from one or more knitting machines, from achecking station or from a processing station, such as a seaming stationor some other station in a factory.

At some distance in front of the exit opening of the tube 1 a holdingmember 2 is provided, which has a conical bore 3 for receiving the frontend of the stocking. This will in most cases be the stocking toe, but inconnection with some uses of the apparatus the stocking mayalternatively arrive with the Welt first, in which case the holdingmember will be constructed for receiving that end of the stocking. Theholding member 2 is mounted on a compressed air cylinder 4, which bymeans of a head 5 is pivoted on a horizontal pin 6. The head 5 isconstructed with a compressed air pipe stub 7, to which a flexiblecompressed air hose 8 is connected and from which a passage within thehead leads to the compressed) air cylinder 4. In the compressed aircylinder 4 there is provided a piston 9 carrying a needle 10, which bymeans of the piston 9 can be moved into and out of the wall of theconical bore 3. The advance movement is caused by supplying compressedair through the hose 8, while the retraction is effected by a restoringspring 11. The head 5 is connected through a connecting rod 12 to apiston rod 13, which is reciprocatable by means of a piston in acompressed air cylinder 14. The piston rod 13 is normally kept in theposition shown in the drawing by means of a restoring spring. When astocking has been supplied to the holding member 2, the piston rod 13 isretracted by means of compressed air so that the holding member 2 isswung upwards to the position 2' indicated in dotted lines. Before thisswinging of the holding member the needle 10 has first been advanced bysupplying compressed air to the cylinder 4 so as to hold the stockingend.

In the tube 1 there is provided a flap 15, which is opened when astocking passes and is again closed after the stocking has been caughtby the holding member 2.

After the holding member has been swung upwards, the stocking dependstherefrom. A flow of air is now supplied through one or more, e.g., two,compressed air nozles 16 so as to impinge on the depending stocking anddrag it along in the same direction as that of the conveying flow of airby means of which the stocking was sup plied to the holding member. Thestocking is thereby laid flat on a tray 17 forming the bottom of ahousing. When the stocking has been laid fiat, the supply of compressedair to the cylinder 4 is interrupted, whereby the stocking end isreleased. Immediately afterwards the tray 17 is tilted so that thestraightened out stocking drops into a container provided below thetray. The compressed air supply to the cylinder 14 is interrupted sothat the holding member 2 swings back to the position shown in thedrawing. The apparatus is now ready to receive a new stocking.

If the conveying air flow in the tube 1 continues after the flap 15 hasbeen closed, the air may either penetrate through holes in the tube ormay be diverted to a special exit for special purposes.

In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 2, there is likewise provided apneumatic supply tube 1 having a flap 15 therein. Instead of theswingable holding member 2 of FIG. 1 immediately before the front end ofthe tube 1, a stationary holding member 18 is provided in FIG. 2, whichis located at a considerable distance from the exit opening of thetube 1. Between this exit opening and the holding member there isprovided a pneumatic con veying tube 19, which both forms an extensionof the pneumatic supply tube 1 and defines a flat laying path. The tube19 is constructed with an openable bottom as will be described later.The holding member 18 is constructed with a conical bore 20 forreceiving the stocking end, and the holding member is provided with apneumatic cylinder 21 with a needle 22 similarly to the arrangement ofFIG. 1. From the conical bore 20 an axial outlet passage 23 and tworadial outlet passages 24 lead to the surrounding atmosphere. Moreover,one or more, e.g., two, compressed air passages 25 receiving compressedair from a tube 26 extend through the holding member.

In the embodiment illustrated, the tube 19 is of square cross section,consisting of an upper V-shaped member 27, to which two bottom sidemembers 29 are pivoted by means of hinges 28. The bottom side members 29are provided with arms 30 pivoted to a couple of clasping arms 31, whichare again pivoted to a piston 32 of a pneumatic cylinder 33. Themechanism consisting of the parts 3033 is not shown in FIG. 2. It may bearranged at any place along the length of the tube 19, preferablyadjacent one of the ends of same where it may be built together withother equipment. If desired, a plurality of such mechanisms may beprovided.

When a stocking is supplied through the tube 1, the flap 15 is openedand the stocking is conveyed further by the conlveying air flow throughthe closed tube 19, which thus forms a continuation of the pneumaticconveying path. When the front end of the stocking arrives at the end ofthe tube 19, it is received in the conical bore 20 of the holding member18. The passages 23 and 24 serve to discharge the conveying air. Now theneedle 22 is advanced to catch the stocking end and the flap 15 isclosed. Compressed air is then supplied through the passages 25, wherebya flow of air is produced in the tube 19 in the opposite direction asthat of the conveying air flow. The stocking is thereby laid fiat 0n thebottom of the tube 19, and when this has taken place the needle 22 isretracted and compressed air is supplied to the cylinder 33, whereby thepiston 32 is retracted and swings the bottom side members 29 outwards tovertical positions, as illustrated in dotted lines in FIG. 3. Thestocking may now drop in a straightened out state into a containerprovided under the tube 19.

The opening and closing of the flap 15, the advancing and retraction ofthe needle 22, the supply of compressed air to the passages 25, and theopening up of the bottom side members 29 of the tube may like thecorresponding functions of the embodiment first described be controlledin the required time sequence by means of a suitable control device ofwell known kind, e.g., of mechanical, pneumatic or electronic nature.

For holding the stocking ends in the holding member other forms ofmechanical holding means, such as a pair of tongs or a claw, may he usedinstead of a needle.

We claim:

1. An apparatus for the fiat laying of stockings, comprising a holdingmember adapted to receive and temporarily hold the leading end of astocking conveyed thereto by a pneumatic stocking supplying system, andmeans for producing a flow of air from said holding member along a flatlaying path.

2. An apparatus as in claim 1, in which said fiat laying path isprovided at the side of the holding member facing away from its stockingreceiving side, means being provided for moving said holding member outof the way to a position to enable a stocking held thereby to be caughtby said flow of air so as to be extended along said flat laying path.

3. An apparatus as in claim 1, in which said holding member is providedat the remote end of a pneumatic conveying tube connectable to apnuematic stocking supplying system, said air flow producing means beingconstructed to produce a flow of air along said pneumatic conveying tubein a direction opposite to that of the stocking supplying flow of air,the apparatus further comprising means for opening up the bottom of saidpneumatic conveying tube to permit a stocking present therein to dropout of same.

4. An apparatus as in claim 3, in which said holding member isconstructed with mechanical stocking holding means.

5. An apparatus as in claim 4, in which said mechanical stocking holdingmeans is in the form of a reciprocatable needle.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,964,221 12/1960 Fuqua 223- 33,319,851 5/1967 Horberg 223-112 3,355,074 11/1967 Brewin et al 223-1 123,374,903 3/1968 Glover 214-6 ANDRES H. NIELSEN, Primary Examiner.

U.S. Cl. X.R.

